The Ethics of Employing Artificial Intelligence Technologies in Arab Television Newsrooms A Forward-Looking Vision from the Communicator's Perspective

Abstract

Arab television newsrooms are undergoing a rapid structural transformation driven by the widespread adoption of generative artificial intelligence technologies, particularly text generation and drafting tools. This swift technological advancement is accompanied by grave ethical and legal threats, chief among them being visual content manipulation (deepfakes), intellectual property infringement, algorithmic bias, and the ambiguity of legal liability. Despite this digital expansion, professional reality demonstrates that the human communicator retains editorial sovereignty and final decision-making authority in newsrooms, with algorithms currently confined to advisory and supportive roles, alongside a notable deficit in employing verification and deepfake-detection software. Looking toward 2030, the professional role of the human journalist is evolving and positioning itself as a normative supervisor and ethical guide over algorithmic processes, rather than facing replacement or decline. This transition necessitates the urgent formulation of strict ethical appendices and the modernization of media codes of honor to regulate this hybrid human-machine collaboration.